No, of course not. Unless it's a cult, like Shelby mentioned. However, I do feel that introducing children to illogical/irrational means to explaining things puts them at a psychological and sometimes emotional disadvantage. I truly believe I would have learned to deal with the realities of life much more efficiently if I hadn't been indoctrinated as a child. I was just reading in of Karen Armstrong's books that when many expelled Jews moved to Holland where they could practice their religion freely, many were shocked at how it illogical it was. Growing up in a pretty much secular environment had lead them to logic. Nothing else was acceptable to them after that. I wish I didn't have to undo the indoctrination to get to the logic. It would have been easier and less painful.

This is one of those silly cliches that get repeated over and over by atheists as if it were gospel truth.

Shelby has said it quite well. What is "force" in the context of a parent-child relationship? How would you define "abuse"?

Furthermore, how would you define "religion"? Parents are expected to give moral instructions to their children. Whether you agree with a particular teaching or not, where do you draw the line at defining it as a "religious" teaching?

Depends on the religion and how much it affects the child. If it is like in my case - not much (baptised at 3, then... nothing for then next 13 years), then of course it isn't child abuse. If it is constant misinformation, constant berating of the evolution theory, going to church more than every sunday, then it is, of course, child abuse.

Islam, however, is child abuse in almost every case - physical and mental.

Of course, there are some secular muslims as well. But keeping your children in a constant delusion, and (under sharia law, apostasy is punished by death) if they try to escape that delusion, they are executed - that sounds very much like child abuse to me.

Don't hide behind pretenses if you just don't like Islam and want to bash it. There's little fundamental difference between Islam and Christianity. Practitioners of both have done all the same terrible things at different times in history.

After discussing with a friend...... I think we always hear about the extremists of Muslims and then paint them all with the same brush. In the states you could probably find a story everyday of an american killing their child out of rage, neglect, psychotic issues, spouse revenge, or to escape financial issues (family murder/suicides). And no religion labeling involved even though they may be of a particular religion.

Well if moderates want to speak up, and condemn the actions of extremists (instead of making excuses for them), they should do it already. Your claim is similar to the NPR announcer's claim that there are more Christian acts of terrorism than Muslim every day (and the only examples he could think of were Columbine and OKC, which were not related to Christianity at all). Ayaan Hirsi writes about why child abuse (and other forms of abuse) are widespread in the Islamic world, and she was involved with Muslims all her life, growing up in multiple different Muslim countries and societies.

I actually do believe it to be child abuse of sorts. I do think some cases are relatively milder than others, but nonetheless. Parents have an obligation to prepare their children to become productive members of society to include the ability to think critically and reason. Obviously there are some who have posted, as well as myself and others, who were raised in dogma and managed to figure it out and escape. No, I don't think most parents see it as abuse when they are indoctrinating their kids, on the contrary I believe they feel they are doing the right thing. The abusive aspects may not come out right away; however, when a person starts feeling internal torture about what I've been raised to believe and what makes sense--then yes, it is abuse--perhaps unintended, but still abuse.

Are my parents abusers? Yes, they are. My mother escaped prosecution, though she absolutely deserves it. And I fought my father 15 years in court to finally get him locked up for agg. sexual assault of a child under 12 (me). He is currently serving a whole 5 yr sentence. I was raised Assembly of God, but went to a Baptist school (lol..if there is a hell, I've served 4 yrs already, somebody owes me time..lol) My father is the son of a child molesting pastor, and an unofficial minister himself.